The third day of Ben Stokes’ trial came to an end on Wednesday, with the England cricketer accused of being the “main aggressor” in a fracas in Bristol.

The all-rounder, 27, is accused of attacking two men in a brawl outside a local nightclub last September. Bristol Crown Court heard Mr Stokes “lost control” in the affray and knocked Ryan Hale, 27, to the ground before knocking out Ryan Ali, 28. Mr Hale and Mr Ali are also charged with affray.

Ben Stokes was the ‘main aggressor’ in a late night street fight in Bristol that left one ​man with serious facial injuries including a broken eye socket and deep cut to his face, a court heard.

The England cricketer knocked out Ryan Ali with one punch while the firefighter appeared to be backing away from a confrontation, a jury at Bristol crown court was told.
Yesterday, the doorman at the Mbargo club in Bristol close to where Stokes allegedly punched two men – Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale – knocking them out.

Mr Cunningham told the court he had denied Stokes entrance after the club closed at 2am, and that the cricketer had then mocked two gay men, William O’Connor and Kai Barry, and flicked a cigarette at them outside the club in the minutes before the brawl.

He also alleged that Stokes had described his tattoos as “s***”.

The court heard that Stokes had been out with teammates in Bristol city centre celebrating victory over the West Indies in an ODI last September. He and fellow cricketer Alex Hales were denied re-entry to Mbargo, after returning to the nightclub, where they had earlier been drinking, at 2.08am after the venue had stopped allowing patrons in for the evening.

The prosecution’s case is that at around 2.35am Stokes was captured on CCTV, brawling with co-defendants Mr Ali and Ryan Hale. All three deny a charge of affray.

Here’s the VIDEO:

Footage was earlier shown to the jury that the prosecution said depicted Stokes mocking Kai Barry and William O’Connor, described as a ‘flamboyant, extrovert and openly gay young couple’ before flicking the stub of a lit cigarette towards the head of O’Connor.